Monthly Archives: August 2014
North Carolina: New rules set for gill-net fishing
Gill-net fishermen have new requirements designed to protect an addition to the endangered species list. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently signed an agreement with the National Marine Fisheries Service that implements a statewide incidental take permit for Atlantic sturgeon in the estuarine large-mesh and small-mesh anchored gill net fisheries. Read more here 15:26
NOAA has closed Cod, yellowtail fishing areas
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has closed two areas to fishing. The Eastern U.S./Canada area of Georges Bank has been closed through April 30, 2015 to all Northeast multispecies common pool vessels. NOAA has also closed the yellowtail flounder fishery through the end of August and the Eastern part of Georges’ Bank for common pool boats through April 30, 2015. Read more here 12:46
Researchers developing fishing forecast to help watermen avoid vulnerable species
When fishermen are at sea to catch monkfish, fluke or other commercial seafood, much larger fish can unintentionally wind up in their nets. Hauling in sand tiger sharks and Atlantic sturgeon can be particularly problematic—not only are they big, they are protected by strict regulations. Read more here 10:51
Gladiator: Swordfish Life Cycle
As a fishery biologist working aboard commercial fishing vessels back in the 1990s, I can still remember the first broadbill swordfish (Xiphias gladius) I saw captured in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Besides its brilliant, radiant blue color, I remember becoming instantly fascinated by the swordfish’s bill; it’s no wonder why Linnaeus named it after the Latin word for sword, gladius, back in 1758. Read more here 09:55
Kenai Peninsula hopes to host Board of Fisheries meetings
Municipalities across the Kenai Peninsula are slated to consider asking the Alaska Board of Fisheries hold the 2017 Upper Cook Inlet Finfish meetings on the Kenai Peninsula. “It would make sense since 80 percent of the discussions are peninsula based,” he said. “Peninsula residents are involved from every facet whether they are sport fishermen, setnetters or drifters.” Read more here 09:30
Linda Bean says Rockland lobster processing plant has fixed FDA violations
A major lobster processor claims to have fixed a long list of FDA violations. Linda Bean says she has addressed everything on the list. An FDA spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the FDA believes Linda Bean’s corrections are adequate. BDN 09:20
Gulf of Maine Cod Peer Review Meeting – Live Streaming Information for Aug. 28-29, 2014
Scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service say the amount of cod spawning in the Gulf of Maine is estimated to be three to four percent of its target level. They key food species is experiencing low catches in states such as Maine and Massachusetts. Attend the meeting by webinar. Information is here 08:01
Tributes flow for big, loving, New Zealand Fisherman Leighton Muir
“That big personality of yours sure had an effect on so many lives but especially your family,” sister Krystle Muir. “You dreamed big and I know you would have made all your dreams come true. You worked so hard to make them happen.” “He was a happy, hard-working young man who always had a great big, beaming smile. “He was always looking for the next adventure. He was a lovely, grounded and caring young man,” Read more here 22:11
Its never enough. National Marine Sanctuary eco bureaucracy panel says more protected marine zones likely needed
New ecological reserves should be considered as part of an updated marine zoning plan for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, local advisors say. Read more here 19:55
FEDERAL COURT DECISION ON CAPE WIND NSTAR CONTRACT “GRAVELY FLAWED”
“DOER … saw NSTAR’s merger application as an opportunity to accomplish through backroom strong-arming what Massachusetts was not lawfully permitted to do openly and directly: to compel NSTAR to enter a contract procuring electricity from Cape Wind at a price high enough to allow Cape Wind to build,” according to the brief. Read more here 19:27
La. shrimpers encouraged to report Asian tiger prawn catches
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is aware of and constantly monitoring the presence of Asian tiger prawns, a non-native species, in Louisiana waters. LDWF officials are asking local shrimp harvesters to report catches of tiger prawns to the Department. Read more here 16:52
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 55′ Fiberglass Dragger/Shrimper, 540HP Cummins,
Specifications, information and 28 photo’s click here 12:55 To see all the boats in this series, Click here 14:27
Eel fishermen meet with DFO to prevent gear conflicts
The eel fishing season has started on Prince Edward Island and representatives from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans have met with fishermen to help prevent any trouble. Higher eel prices and a decline in other fishing industries have encouraged people to harvest eels. Read more here 11:39
San Mateo County Harbor District defends itself: Board of Commissioners responds to civil grand jury report calling for dissolution
The district has come under strict public scrutiny after a stack of uncashed rent checks surfaced, commercial fishing industry representatives claims that they’re misrepresented and commissioners slinging insults in public forums. Read more here 10:51
William Y. Brown, chief environmental officer for BOEM says, Stop Freaking Out Over Seismic. It’s Harmless!
I wanted to take some time to clear up a few misperceptions about the bureau’s decision and what it means. As a scientist who has spent a good part of my career working in non-governmental environmental organizations and in industry, I understand and appreciate advocacy. At the same time, I believe that everyone benefits by getting the facts right. Read more here 10:35
Big Green, Diversify or Die! (I thought it was about the Environment) It’s about employment!
The newly launched Diverse Environmental Leaders National Speakers Bureau, or “DEL,” convened yesterday on the 98th birthday of the National Park Service to convey chiefly two things: That environmentalists of color are plentiful and available as employees and leaders, and that environmental groups and government agencies have no legitimate excuses for having predominantly white workforces. Read more here 10:21
Pay attention to this one. Proposed Rule. List of Fisheries for 2015
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) publishes its proposed List of Fisheries (LOF) for 2015, as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The proposed LOF for 2015 reflects new information on interactions between commercial fisheries and marine mammals. comment period that ends in 28 days (09/24/2014) Samuel D. Rauch III, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine Fisheries Service. Read more here 09:43
Oregon Wildlife officials confirm economic position of coast’s fishing industry
“First of all, we don’t have the population pressures on our coast that Washington and California do,” he said. “So, we have room for commercial fisheries — fleets, processing centers — those are the kind of things that have been the backbone of the Oregon coast for many decades. But, that’s really true now, thanks to the increased demand for the quality seafood that we produce off our coast.” Read more here, 09:03
Kiwi dies on commercial fishing trawler
A Nelson man has died after being struck by a wire on a commercial fishing vessel on the Pacific Ocean. New Zealand authorities are investigating after Leighton Muir, 27, died on board the Talley’s operated fishing vessel Captain MJ Souza near Kiribati on Sunday. A Maritime New Zealand spokeswoman said a crew member had been “struck by a wire under tension”. Read more here 08:47
Central Valley irrigators ask judge to stop releases for salmon
Agricultural water providers in California’s Central Valley have asked a federal judge to stop the newly approved releases of extra water intended to help salmon in the Klamath Basin survive the drought. Read more here 08:07
Attorney: Yup’ik Fishermen Wrongfully Convicted
Attorneys argued before the Alaska Court of Appeals in downtown Anchorage today about whether Yup’ik fishermen, who fished for Chinook or king Salmon during a closure on the Kuskokwim River in 2012, were wrongfully convicted. Listen, and Read more here 07:52
Coast Guard, good Samaritans assist fishing vessel near Sitka, Alaska
KODIAK, Alaska — A Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and three good Samaritan vessels assisted the fishing vessel after it began taking on water near Cosmos Cove Tuesday morning. Read more here 20:08
AK retaliates against Russian seafood boycott; Mariculture RFPs wanted
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Alaska retaliates against Russia’s seafood boycott reactions and help wanted to get Alaska mariculture moving. If Russia won’t buy US salmon roe, pollock, whiting and other seafoods, we won’t buy theirs. Read more here 16:53
Seals Are Officially Cape Cod Public Enemy #1- Now They Are Stinking Up The Streets
So the seal population is officially so bad that they are turning the ocean into a sewage plant and making the streets of P-Town literally smell like shit. Oh, and many experts believe the population is only going to keep booming and inundating more marinas and other space inhabited by humans in the next few years. Read more here 15:48
Aug. 28-29 – Gulf of Maine Cod Peer Review Meeting – Sheraton Harborside Hotel Portsmouth, NH
Meeting: The public is invited to listen in to a panel of scientific experts who will review the recently released Draft Gulf of Maine Cod Operational Assessment Report.The meeting is scheduled to convene at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday and 8:30 a.m. on Friday. Please click here for all meeting documents, including the agenda and other materials to be considered. Webinar Information: Click here to join in online Full Press Release here 13:47
Pound Net Watermen Prepare for Menhaden Bycatch Limits
Today, a Maryland waterman with a pound net can catch as many menhaden as he or she would like, on Friday, that gets cut back to 6,000 pounds a day to protect the species from overfishing, Video, and Read more here 12:26
Japan plans to propose a 50 percent cut on catches of young bluefin tuna in the Western and Central Pacific
Japan plans to propose a 50 percent cut on catches of young bluefin tuna in the Western and Central Pacific, officials said Tuesday (Aug 26), in a historic shift aimed at safeguarding the at-risk species. Tokyo – the world’s biggest consumer of tuna – has been reluctant to reduce catches, despite mounting scientific evidence that stocks are near collapse. Read more here 11:35
Three brothers who live in the Lower Keys, buyer charged in spiny lobsters take case
Three brothers who live in the Lower Keys have been indicted for harvesting spiny lobsters from illegal habitat called casitas, catching more than their daily commercial bag limit and falsifying commercial fishing reports to conceal their take. A commercial fish wholesale buyer has also been charged Read more here 08:25
‘Adopted’ baby lobsters released in Shediac Bay
Thousands of baby lobsters have a new home near Shediac, thanks to an adoption program designed to sustain the species and the industry. Lobster larvae have less than a one per cent chance of growing to maturity in the wild, said Diego Ritchie, the program co-ordinator. Read more here 08:09
Katsheshuk Fisheries fined $90K for incident that killed worker
A St. John’s court has fined Katsheshuk Fisheries $90,000 for occupational health and safety charges laid after a man was killed on a shrimp trawler two years ago. Aaron Cull, 25, was killed in February 2012 when a metal door on a holding tank fell on his neck while he was working on the trawler . Cull’s father, Kenneth Cull, was on board the Katsheshuk II when the accident occurred; he was one of the first people to reach his son. Read more here 07:53
